Researchers Have Discovered a Natural Alternative to Dental Fillings

Many people agree the dentist’s office is pretty much the last place on Earth you’d want to be at any given time. But new research provides hope for what happens on that cold leather chair: a new discovery could mean the end of painful fillings forever.

According to The Guardian, dental researchers have concocted a new drug that helps regenerate cavity attacked teeth, reducing the need for future oral surgery. “The therapy works by enhancing the natural ability of teeth to repair themselves through the activation of stem cells in the soft pulp at the center,” notes the publication.

Per the study, which was executed by researchers at Kings College in London and published in Scientific Reports, a tooth’s dentin (its core) is commonly repaired through the use of inorganic cements (i.e. fillings). But by using a new drug that has been tested in clinical trials to treat Alzheimer’s patients, a rotten tooth could have the ability to naturally heal itself, doing away with the need for novocaine, bloody gauze, and all those silver metal objects clanging around in your mouth. The treatment could even help prevent future extractions, if the affected tooth healed itself enough. (If you’ve ever had a tooth pulled, you’ll know that that’s one memory that won’t ever heal.)